Police arrest Islamic Cleric for killing female student lured from Facebook

An Islamic cleric in Nigeria, Abdulrahman Mohad Ballo, has been arrested by the Kwara State Police Command for the alleged murder of Lawal Hafsoh Yetunde, a final-year student at the Kwara State College of Education.

The suspect is accused of luring the victim through Facebook, where he reportedly connected with her, obtained her phone number, and later killed her for ritual purposes.

The tragic incident occurred on Monday, February 10, 2025. According to reports, Hafsoh was attending a naming ceremony when she received a phone call from a friend.

She excused herself to answer the call and subsequently disappeared. Her family and friends launched a search but were unable to locate her.

The following day, they reported her disappearance to the Oja Oba Police Station in Ilorin.

Diaspora Digital Media gathered that police investigators traced Hafsoh’s last phone call, which led them to Ballo, a resident of the Offa Garage area in Ilorin.

Ballo, whose family home is in Isalekoto, initially denied any involvement in Hafsoh’s disappearance.

However, a search of his residence revealed a horrifying scene: Hafsoh’s dismembered body was found in a bowl, alongside tools suspected to have been used in the gruesome act.

Ballo claimed that Hafsoh had died from an asthma attack after visiting his residence.

However, the evidence found at the scene, including a table equipped with dismemberment tools, suggests that this may not be his first crime.

The suspect, who is now in police custody at the Kwara State Police Headquarters, is said to be the son of a well-known Islamic cleric from Isalekoto, who recently passed away.

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